I teach grades 4-6 in a multi-age Montessori classroom. In many districts, Montessori education is only available to families who can afford private schooI tuition. I am proud to teach in a large public school district that offers Montessori as an option for all of its students.
My students are enthusiastic, energetic, and curious about everything.
Since many of them deal with significant challenges outside of school, one of my priorities is to create a stable and consistent classroom environment where my students can build confidence in their abilities, strengthen their independence, and feel good about their contributions to our classroom and school community.
My Project
Geography is an essential part of Montessori curriculum, and we do a lot of map and economic geography work in my classroom. My students learn about different regions around the world and the individual countries within those regions. Part of the learning process includes drawing maps (political & physical), identifying land forms (mountain ranges, deserts) and water forms (rivers, lakes), and talking about how these things affect political and economic geography. The atlases and graph paper included in this project will be used heavily in their exploration throughout the year.
I believe it is important for today’s students to know how to do research using both print and electronic resources.
With this in mind, I still incorporate the use of paper dictionaries and thesauri in my vocabulary curriculum. Nowadays, students are more used to looking up words on a computer or phone, and that is definitely an important skill to have. I have witnessed first-hand, though, enough positive outcomes from using the print version that I am still teaching that skill to my students. This project includes updated dictionaries & thesauri that include contemporary words that will keep things interesting & relevant for my students.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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